AP-Newswatch

Tropical Storm Debby threatens Southeast with potentially catastrophic flooding, record-setting rain

HORSESHOE BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Tropical Storm Debby is forecast to bring catastrophic flooding to Florida and potentially record-setting rain to Georgia and South Carolina as it moves over the southeastern United States. The storm made landfall on the gulf coast of Florida early Monday as a Category 1 hurricane. It was downgraded during the late morning hours to a tropical storm, with top wind speeds around 70 mph. More than 350,000 customers were without power in Florida and Georgia. At least four storm-related deaths have been reported. Local leaders in coastal Georgia were preparing for high water in case Debby stalls out over cities like Savannah. An official in South Carolina says Debby could be a “historic and potentially unprecedented event.”

Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina resigns as widening unrest sees protesters storm her official residence

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh’s prime minister has resigned and fled the country, after weeks of protests against a quota system for government jobs descended into violence and grew into a broader challenge to her 15-year rule. Thousands of demonstrators stormed her official residence and other buildings associated with her party and family on Monday. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s departure threatens to create even more instability in the nation on India’s border that is already dealing with a series of crises, from high unemployment and corruption to climate change. After the embattled leader was seen on TV boarding a military helicopter with her sister, the country’s military chief sought to reassure a jittery nation that order would be restored.

Dow drops 864 points, and Japanese stocks suffer worst crash since 1987 amid U.S. economy worries

NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly everything on Wall Street is tumbling as fear about a slowing U.S. economy worsens and sets off another sell-off for financial markets around the world. The S&P 500 sank 2.4% in midday trading Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 864 points, and the Nasdaq composite slid 2.8%. That followed a 12.4% plunge for Japan’s Nikkei 225, its worst day since 1987. Stocks and Treasury yields pared their losses after a report showed U.S. services businesses are continuing to grow. But worries are still high after Friday’s report showed U.S. employers pulled back on hiring last month by more than expected.

Israel-Hamas war latest: Hezbollah says it launched a drone attack on northern Israel

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah says it launched a drone attack early Monday on northern Israel that the Israeli military said wounded two Israeli troops. The violence came amid fears of an all-out regional war following the killings last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas’ top political leader in Iran. The attack did not appear to be the more intense retaliation that’s expected from Iran and its allied militias. The head of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has threatened Israel over the assassination of the Hamas leader, warning that Israel was “digging its own grave” with its actions.

UK prime minister talks of ‘standing army’ of police to deal with rioting across Britain

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says a “standing army” of specialist police will be set up to deal with rioting and the justice system will be ramped up to deal with hundreds of arrests after violent disorder rocked cities across the nation over the past week. Starmer has held an urgent meeting with ministers and top law enforcement officials as he seeks to end violence and attacks on immigrants, mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers. Starmer has called such attacks far-right thuggery. Misinformation spread online has whipped up anger over a stabbing rampage at a dance class that left three girls dead and many more wounded.

This preschool in Alaska changed lives for parents and kids alike. Why did it have to close?

WASILLA, Alaska (AP) — In rural Alaska, the federally funded Head Start preschool program has helped parents earn college degrees. It has put parents with drug addictions on paths toward recovery and educated children who have ended up in foster care. And, of course, it has readied youngsters for kindergarten. So it was crushing when one of Alaska’s Head Start providers closed two of its preschools. The program suffers nationally from a teacher shortage — its teachers must have college degrees, and they can often earn more working in retail or at local school districts. The preschool closures in Alaska preview what other regions across the country could soon face.

Rally dates are set. Venues are chosen. The only thing missing for Harris’ blitz is her VP choice

WASHINGTON (AP) — The dates are set. The venues are chosen. The only thing missing from this week’s campaign blitz with Vice President Kamala Harris and her 2024 running mate is the name of that running mate. After a weekend spent interviewing finalists, Harris is set to decide as early as Monday on her choice before the two set off on a tour across key battleground states where they will introduce the new Democratic ticket to voters and highlight the states of the election. That means there’s not much time left for advocates for and against different picks to get in their final licks.

Kamala Harris is poised to become the Democratic presidential nominee

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris’ coronation as the Democrats’ standard-bearer for the 2024 presidential election is soon becoming official. That will happen Monday night when her party announces the results of online voting by delegates. It will cap a tumultuous period for the party prompted by President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance and his subsequent withdrawal from the race. Harris is the daughter of immigrants who rose through the California political and law enforcement ranks to become the first female vice president in U.S. history. She is clinching the nomination more than four years after her first attempt at the presidency collapsed.

Voices across the globe express concern over increasing arrests in Venezuela after disputed election

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Voices across the globe are expressing concern over the growing number of arrests in Venezuela following last weekend’s disputed elections. Pope Francis said Venezuela is “living a critical situation” in his traditional homily Sunday at the Vatican. The remarks came hours after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced Saturday that the government has arrested 2,000 opponents. At a rally in the Venezuelan capital Caracas, Maduro pledged to detain more and send them to prison. A U.S. official said Sunday the Biden administration is concerned about the possibility of political instability if the arrests continue. The Pope appealed to all parties “to seek the truth, to avoid all kinds of violence.”

For female athletes of color, scrutiny around gender rules and identity is part of a long trend

PARIS (AP) — Female athletes of color have historically faced disproportionate scrutiny and discrimination when it comes to sex testing and false accusations that they are male or transgender. Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting are the latest examples of women of color who have found themselves caught in a contentious debate around gender regulations and perceptions in sports. Historians and anthropologists say international sporting federations don’t tend to promote an understanding of diversity in sex and gender identity. They note that gender tests have often targeted female athletes of color who don’t conform to typically Western, white ideals of femininity.