J.D. Vance is a relative political unknown. He’s been asked to help Donald Trump avenge his 2020 loss
MILWAUKEE — J.D. Vance is supposed to help Donald Trump win the Midwest this fall. But almost immediately after the Ohio senator was announced as Trump’s vice presidential pick on Monday, one thing became clear: Vance, a 39-year-old Republican with less than two years in Congress, is not well-known among...
On an unusually busy news day, did the assassination attempt’s aftermath change the media tone?
If this were a typical presidential campaign, Donald Trump’s selection of JD Vance as his running mate on the Republican ticket would have likely dominated media discussions for a week or two. This is not a typical presidential campaign. On Monday, that choice was just part of the mix. On...
Police in Kenya use tear gas to break up new protests calling for the president to resign
NAIROBI, Kenya — Police in Kenya hurled tear gas canisters on Tuesday to break up protests in Nairobi and several other towns and cities accusing the president of poor governance and demanding his resignation despite his dismissal of nearly the entire Cabinet last week. Businesses in Nairobi remained closed for...
Thousands of Philadelphia city workers are back in the office full time after judge rejects lawsuit
Thousands of Philadelphia city employees are back in their offices full time after a judge rejected a union’s request to block Mayor Cherelle Parker’s requirement that they return. District Council 47 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees had sued the city, claiming the mandate violates its...
The Democratic National Committee says it’s investing $15 million in 7 swing state parties
WASHINGTON — Democrats are trying to offer political counterprograming to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, announcing $15 million to fund campaign operations in seven key swing states — even as some in the party have urged President Joe Biden to bow out of November’s election. The Democratic National Committee...
Kennedy and West 3rd-party ballot drives are pushed by secretive groups and Republican donors
WASHINGTON — Libertarians in Colorado want to put Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the ballot to create chaos. Petition drives for Cornel West in Virginia and North Carolina are being run by groups with Republican ties. And in Arizona, a convicted fraudster who’s been repeatedly investigated for using deceptive tactics...
Israeli strikes in southern, central Gaza kill more than 60 Palestinians, including in ‘safe zone’
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli airstrikes killed more than 60 Palestinians in southern and central Gaza overnight and into Tuesday, including one that struck an Israeli-declared “safe zone” crowded with thousands of displaced people. Airstrikes in recent days have brought a constant drumbeat of deaths of Palestinians in the...
Trump enters Republican convention with a bandage covering his right ear after assassination attempt
MILWAUKEE — Former President Donald Trump, two days after surviving an attempted assassination, appeared triumphantly at the Republican National Convention’s opening night with a bandage over his right ear. Delegates cheered wildly as Trump appeared onscreen backstage and then emerged, visibly emotional, as Lee Greenwood sang “God Bless the USA.”...
Outside RNC, conservative group defends its Project 2025 guidebook as Democrats ramp up critiques
MILWAUKEE — At the edge of the cordoned-off perimeter around the Republican National Convention on Monday, hundreds of conservatives filed into the ornate home of the Milwaukee Symphony to hear a parade of luminaries talk policy and Project 2025. Project 2025 is the term for the Heritage Foundation’s nearly 1,000-page...
Signs of trouble at Trump rally were evident in minutes before gunman opened fire
BUTLER — Signs of trouble were evident in the minutes before shots rang out at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania: Police had a report of a suspicious man pacing near the magnetometers and were apparently exchanging photos of the suspect. Witnesses pointed and shouted at an armed man on a...
Who is JD Vance? Things to know about Donald Trump’s pick for vice president
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Former President Donald Trump on Monday chose U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio to be his running mate as he looks to return to the White House. Here are some things to know about Vance, a 39-year-old Republican now in his first term in the Senate: Vance...
Thailand is set to roll out a controversial $13.8 billion handout plan in digital money to citizens
BANGKOK — Thailand’s prime minister said Monday that eligible businesses and individuals can register from August for digital cash handouts, a controversial program that will cost billions of dollars and is meant to boost the lagging economy. The government announced in April the widely criticized ambitious plan, named the Digital...
Border arrests plunge 29% in June to the lowest of Biden’s presidency as asylum halt takes hold
SAN DIEGO — Arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico plunged 29% in June, the lowest month of Joe Biden’s presidency, according to figures released Monday that provide another window on the impact of a new rule to temporarily suspend asylum. Arrests totaled 83,536 in June, down from 117,901...
Texas governor criticizes Houston energy as utility says power will be mostly restored by Wednesday
AUSTIN, Texs — The majority of Houston outages that followed Hurricane Beryl should be fixed within the next two days, the city’s main utility company said Monday as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to punish CenterPoint Energy even after the lights come back. The Texas Public Utility Commission, the state’s...
Bolivia’s beleaguered president announces natural gas discovery, promising a boon for the country
LA PAZ, Bolivia — Bolivia’s embattled president on Monday announced the discovery of vast natural gas reserves, describing it as the biggest find in nearly two decades that could help the cash-strapped country reverse its falling production. President Luis Arce called the trove just north of the capital a “mega...
Protesters rally at GOP convention for abortion and immigrant rights, end to war in Gaza
MILWAUKEE — Hundreds of demonstrators converged Monday on downtown Milwaukee to protest around the Republican National Convention, following through on their long-standing plans to rally outside the site despite the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. The protests were peaceful, as organizers had promised they would be. A wide...
California is 1st state to ban school rules requiring parents get notified of child’s pronoun change
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California became the first U.S. state to bar school districts from requiring staff to notify parents of their child’s gender identification change under a law signed Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The law bans school rules requiring teachers and other staff to disclose a student’s gender identity...
Scientists have confirmed a cave on the moon that could be used to shelter future explorers
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Scientists have confirmed a cave on the moon, not far from where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago, and suspect there are hundreds more that could house future astronauts. An Italian-led team reported Monday that there’s evidence for a sizable cave accessible from...
Some call for unity, political civility after Trump assassination attempt. Can it hold?
It takes a hot stove time to cool. Since Saturday’s attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Butler County, some have called on politicians to tone their rhetoric to prevent further violence. But others fear American politics have become so overheated it will take time to deescalate the situation...
Georgia county says slave descendants can’t use referendum to challenge rezoning of island community
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Zoning changes by a Georgia county that some residents say threaten one of the South’s last Gullah-Geechee communities of Black slave descendants can’t be challenged with a referendum, an attorney said Monday in a letter to the judge considering a petition by local voters. Though Georgia’s state...
T-shirts with image of Trump raising his fist after assassination attempt are for sale in China
BANGKOK — Images of the moment have already been splashed across the world’s front pages and papered many corners of the internet — former President Donald Trump, ear bleeding, with his right hand clenched in a fist above the Secret Service agents surrounding him after he was shot. And now...
Ruling keeps abortion question on ballot in South Dakota
A state court judge’s ruling Monday keeps an abortion-rights question on the November ballot in South Dakota. Judge John Pekas dismissed a lawsuit filed by an anti-abortion group, Life Defense Fund, that sought to have the question removed even though supporters turned in more than enough valid signatures to put...
Jury finishes 2nd day of deliberations without a verdict at Sen. Bob Menendez’s bribery trial
NEW YORK — A jury deliberating over 18 charges at the bribery trial of Sen. Bob Menendez in New York City asked the judge on Monday if unanimity is required to acquit “on a single count.” Hours later they recessed for the day without reaching a verdict. The jurors sent...
U.N. body that regulates the deep sea tackles proposed mining code amid growing concerns
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Tense deliberations over how and if to allow deep sea mining unfolded Monday in Jamaica as at least one company threatened to apply for permission before rules and regulations are in place. More than two dozen countries have called for a ban, pause or moratorium...
New York county’s latest trans athlete ban draws lawsuits from attorney general, civil rights group
MINEOLA, N.Y. — The New York attorney general and the New York Civil Liberties Union on Monday sued a county on Long Island over its latest move to ban transgender females from playing on women’s sports teams at county facilities. The separate lawsuits came on the same day Nassau County...