Biden faced a low bar in his first post-debate interview. It’s not certain he cleared it
NEW YORK — With the survival of his candidacy in question, Joe Biden sat down with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Friday for one of the most important interviews of the Democratic president’s decades-long political career. The 22-minute sit-down came a full eight days after Biden’s disastrous debate performance, in which...
Fiery railcars with hazardous material mostly contained after derailment in North Dakota
Enflamed railcars carrying hazardous material were mostly extinguished Saturday, a day after they derailed in a remote area of North Dakota. Officials said Friday no one had been hurt. The threat to those living nearby remained low, according to county emergency management, which reported no air contamination in the area...
More records expected to shatter as long-running blanket of heat threatens 130 million in U.S.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Roughly 130 million people were under threat Saturday and into next week from a long-running heat wave that already has broken records with dangerously high temperatures — and is expected to shatter more from East Coast to West Coast, forecasters said. Oppressive heat and humidity could team...
Hamas clears the way for a possible cease-fire after dropping key demand, officials say
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza — Hamas has given initial approval for a U.S.-backed proposal for a phased cease-fire deal in Gaza, dropping a key demand that Israel give an up-front commitment for a complete end to the war, a Hamas and an Egyptian official said Saturday. The apparent compromise by the...
Putin sees no need for nuclear weapons to win in Ukraine. But he’s also keeping his options open
The message to NATO from President Vladimir Putin was simple and stark: Don’t go too far in providing military support for Ukraine, or you’ll risk a conflict with Russia that could quickly turn nuclear. As the war in Ukraine turns slowly in Moscow’s favor, Putin declared he doesn’t need nuclear...
Republicans turn their focus to Harris as talk of replacing Biden on Democratic ticket intensifies
NEW YORK — For years it’s been a Republican scare tactic. A vote to reelect President Joe Biden, the GOP often charges, is really a vote for Vice President Kamala Harris. It’s an attack line sometimes tinged with racist and misogynist undertones and often macabre imagery. But after Biden’s dismal...
Biden dismisses age questions in interview as he tries to salvage reelection effort
MADISON, Wis. — President Joe Biden, fighting to save his endangered reelection effort, used a highly anticipated TV interview Friday to repeatedly reject taking an independent medical evaluation that would show voters he is up for serving another term in office while blaming his disastrous debate performance on a “bad...
Reformist Pezeshkian wins Iran’s presidential runoff election, besting hard-liner Jalili
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian won Iran’s runoff presidential election Saturday, besting hard-liner Saeed Jalili by promising to reach out to the West and ease enforcement on the country’s mandatory headscarf law after years of sanctions and protests squeezing the Islamic Republic. Pezeshkian promised no radical...
Drugs like Ozempic linked to lower cancer risk in study
Blockbuster weight loss and diabetes drugs might lower patients’ risk of developing some common types of cancer that are closely linked to obesity, new evidence suggests. Patients with Type 2 diabetes who were prescribed drugs known as glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, developed fewer obesity-related cancers than patients who were treated...
Biden to attend church in Philly Sunday before traveling to Harrisburg
PHILADELPHIA — President Joe Biden will attend a predominately Black church in Philadelphia Sunday morning before traveling to a campaign event in Harrisburg on Sunday afternoon, his campaign announced Friday evening. Biden will deliver remarks after the church service in Philadelphia, his campaign said. It did not identify the church...
Trump denies knowing about Project 2025, his allies’ sweeping plan to transform the government
MIAMI — Donald Trump distanced himself Friday from Project 2025, a massive proposed overhaul of the federal government drafted by longtime allies and former officials in his administration, days after the head of the think tank responsible for the program suggested there would be a second American Revolution. “I know...
Multiple injuries reported after fireworks veer into crowd at Utah stadium
PROVO, Utah — Malfunctioning fireworks veered into the stands at a crowded Utah football stadium and struck members of the audience during a Fourth of July celebration, sending up to six people to the hospital, according to authorities and the event organizer. The accident occurred during the opening ceremonies of...
Biden asserts he’s ‘most qualified’ to lead Dems against Trump
MADISON, Wis. — President Joe Biden, fighting to save his endangered reelection effort, used a highly anticipated TV interview Friday to repeatedly reject taking an independent medical evaluation that would show voters he is up for serving another term in office while blaming his disastrous debate performance on a “bad...
Reporter settles part of lawsuit over police raid on Kansas newspaper for $235K
TOPEKA, Kan. — A former reporter for a weekly Kansas newspaper has agreed to accept $235,000 to settle part of her federal lawsuit over a police raid on the paper that made a small community the focus of a national debate over press freedoms. The settlement removed the former police...
Shark attacks reported at Texas’ South Padre Island
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas — Shark attacks disrupted Fourth of July celebrations Thursday at South Padre Island as two people were taken to the hospital with bites, at least one of them severe, authorities said. Police were called for the attack on the man who was severely bitten about 11...
Rail cars carrying hazardous material derail and catch fire in North Dakota
Rail cars carrying hazardous material derailed and burst into flames Friday in a remote area of North Dakota, but officials said no one was hurt and the threat to those living nearby appeared to be minimal. Twenty-nine cars of a CPKC train derailed about 3:45 a.m. in an area surrounded...
Biden cancels speech at teachers union convention in Philadelphia after union staff goes on strike
HARRISBURG — President Joe Biden canceled a planned speech in Philadelphia at the annual conference of the National Education Association after the union’s staff announced a strike and set up picket lines Friday. Biden had planned to speak Sunday, but his campaign said the president is a “fierce supporter of...
How Texas is still investigating migrant aid groups on the border after a judge’s scathing order
McALLEN, Texas — Texas is widening investigations into aid organizations along the U.S.-Mexico border over claims that nonprofits are helping migrants illegally enter the country, taking some groups to court and making demands that a judge called harassment after the state tried shuttering an El Paso shelter. The efforts are...
Air travel is getting worse. That’s what passengers are telling the U.S. government
WASHINGTON — Air travel got more miserable last year, if the number of consumer complaints filed with the U.S. government is any measure. The Transportation Department said Friday that it received nearly 97,000 complaints in 2023, up from about 86,000 the year before. The department said there were so many...
July Fourth shootings kill at least 8, wound more than 2 dozen
Shootings around the Fourth of July killed at least eight people, including a 10-year-old girl in Cleveland, while police were investigating other gun violence across the country that injured nearly three dozen people. No arrests were made in any of the shootings, police said. The Fourth of July historically is...
Hurricane Beryl slams into Mexico’s coast as a Category 2 storm; 11 dead across the Caribbean
TULUM, Mexico — Hurricane Beryl roared ashore on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula near the resort town of Tulum as a Category 2 storm early Friday, whipping trees and knocking out power after leaving a trail of destruction that killed at least 11 people across the Caribbean. Beryl was expected to rapidly...
Hungary’s Orbán meets Putin for talks in Moscow in rare visit by European leader
MOSCOW — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán visited Moscow on Friday for a rare meeting by a European leader with Russian President Vladimir Putin and discussed peace proposals for Ukraine, which triggered condemnation from Kyiv and some European leaders and officials. Orbán’s visit comes only days after he made a...
Vatican excommunicates former U.S. ambassador Vigano, declares him guilty of schism
ROME — The Vatican has excommunicated its former ambassador to the U.S., Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, after finding him guilty of schism, an inevitable end for the firebrand conservative who became one of Pope Francis’ most ardent critics. The Vatican’s doctrine office imposed the penalty after a meeting of its...
U.S. employers added a solid 206,000 jobs in June in a sign of continued economic strength
WASHINGTON — America’s employers delivered another healthy month of hiring in June, adding 206,000 jobs and once again displaying the U.S. economy’s ability to withstand continually high interest rates. Last month’s job growth did mark a pullback from 218,000 in May. But it was still a strong gain, reflecting the...
Take the TribLive weekly news quiz: July 5
The following is a regular feature from TribLive: A weekly news quiz:...
