AP-Newswatch

Biden says he’s ‘staying in the race’ as he scrambles to save candidacy and braces for ABC interview

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — President Joe Biden is fighting to save his endangered reelection effort. The president on Friday defiantly declared that “I’m staying in the race” during a campaign rally in a critical battleground state as he prepares to sit down for a network television interview where his every answer is sure to be scrutinized for evidence of his competency and fitness to run for office. In front of roughly 300 supporters at a Wisconsin middle school, Biden again acknowledged his subpar debate last week, saying he “can’t say it was my best performance” but that amid speculation over what he would do, he had an answer: “I am running, and I’m going to win again.”

Federal Reserve highlights its political independence as presidential campaign heats up

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve is highlighting the importance of its political independence at a time when Donald Trump, who frequently attacked the Fed’s policymaking in the past, edges closer to formally becoming the Republican nominee for president. On Friday, the Fed released its twice-yearly report on its interest-rate policies, a typically dry document that primarily includes its analysis of job growth, inflation, interest rates and other economic trends. This time, the Fed used the report to stress the vital need for the central bank to operate independent of political pressures.

What we learned from the UK’s general election that will shape politics over the coming years

LONDON (AP) — The U.K. has its first change in government in 14 years after the Labour Party won a resounding victory in a general election. It is the Conservative Party’s biggest defeat ever. The new government faces huge challenges, including fixing the country’s sluggish economic and social malaise resulting in part from the U.K’s exit from the European Union, the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and several Conservative Party scandals. Among the things that we have learned from this election: the country’s two main parties are not as dominant as they used to be; no election has seen this many Cabinet ministers lose their seats in Parliament; Labour’s stance on the war in Gaza has lost it votes; and Labour is back in favor in Scotland.

US says troops are leaving Niger bases this weekend and in August after coup

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military commander in Niger says all American forces and equipment will leave a small base in the West African country this weekend and fewer than 500 remaining troops will be out of a critical drone base in August. The departures come ahead of a Sept. 15 deadline set in an agreement with the new ruling junta. Air Force Maj. Gen. Kenneth Ekman said Friday a number of small teams of 10-20 U.S. troops, including special operations forces, have moved to other countries in West Africa. The bulk of the other forces will go, at least initially, to Europe. Ekman spoke in an interview from the U.S. embassy in Niamey.

Beryl batters Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula as Texas officials urge coastal residents to prepare

TULUM, Mexico (AP) — Beryl was battering Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula while officials in Texas urged coastal residents to prepare as the storm moves toward the Gulf of Mexico. Beryl hit Mexico near the resort town of Tulum as a Category 2 hurricane but weakened to a tropical storm as it moved across the peninsula. The U.S. National Hurricane Center expects Beryl to regain hurricane strength once it reemerges into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, where it is forecast to head toward northeastern Mexico and southern Texas. Some Texas counties have already issued voluntary evacuation orders in low-lying areas.

Vatican excommunicates a former ambassador to the US and declares him guilty of schism

ROME (AP) — The Vatican has excommunicated its former ambassador to the United States after finding him guilty of schism. It was an inevitable outcome for Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a conservative who became one of Pope Francis’ most ardent critics. The Vatican said on Friday that its doctrine office imposed the penalty after a meeting of its members. It cited what it called Vigano’s “refusal to recognize and submit to the Supreme Pontiff, his rejection of communion with the members of the church subject to him, and of the legitimacy and magisterial authority of the Second Vatican Council.”

7 Palestinians killed in West Bank by an Israeli raid and airstrike in the Jenin area

JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian authorities say seven people have been killed during an Israeli military operation in the area of the West Bank city of Jenin. That’s where the Israeli military said it had been carrying out “counterterrorism activity” that included an airstrike. The military said Israeli soldiers had “encircled a building where terrorists have barricaded themselves in” and the soldiers exchanged fire with those inside, while an airstrike had “struck several armed terrorists” in the area. The Palestinian Health Ministry said a total of seven people had been killed Friday. The Islamic Jihad militant group named four of the dead as its members.

Wisconsin Supreme Court changes course, will allow expanded use of ballot drop boxes this fall

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court is changing course and will allow officials to place ballot drop boxes around their communities in this fall’s elections in the presidential swing state. The court ruled in 2022 that absentee ballot drop boxes could be used only in election offices and no one other than the voter could return a ballot in-person. Liberal justices gained control of the court last year, prompting a progressive voter group to ask the court to reconsider that ruling. The court ruled 4-3 on Friday that placing a ballot in a drop box equates to delivering it to a local election clerk regardless of where the box is located.

Kansas’ top court bolsters a state right to abortion and strikes down 2 anti-abortion laws

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has reaffirmed its stance that the state constitution protects abortion access. The court’s decisions Friday in separate cases struck down a ban on a common second-trimester procedure and state laws regulating abortion providers more strictly than other health care providers. The court declared access to abortion a fundamental right in 2019. Voters also have decisively rejected a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would have explicitly declared abortion not a fundamental right. The court has rejected a suggestion from lawyers for the state that the justices should walk back the 2019 decision.

A bench and a grandmother’s ear: Zimbabwe’s novel mental health therapy spreads overseas

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — In Zimbabwe, talk therapy involving park benches and a network of grandmothers has become a saving grace for people with mental health issues. Now the concept is being adopted in parts of the United States and elsewhere. Zimbabwe has scarce clinical mental health resources. The Friendship Bench was started by a local psychiatrist. Grandmothers from the community are equipped with basic training in problem-solving therapy and have become trusted listeners. It’s inspired by traditional practice in which grandmothers were the go-to people for wisdom in rough times.