AP-Newswatch

US commemorates 9/11 attacks with victims in focus and politics in view

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. is remembering the lives taken and others reshaped by 9/11 on an anniversary laced with presidential campaign politics. President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris stood together Wednesday at ground zero. Sept. 11 — the date when hijacked plane attacks killed nearly 3,000 people in 2001 — falls in the thick of the presidential election season every four years, and it comes at an especially pointed moment now. It comes hours after Harris and Trump, the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees, debated each other for the first time.

US inflation reaches a 3-year low as Federal Reserve prepares to cut interest rates

WASHINGTON (AP) — The post-pandemic spike in U.S. inflation eased further last month as year-over-year price increases reached a three-year low, clearing the way for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates and likely shaping the economic debate in the final weeks of the presidential race. Consumer prices rose 2.5% in August from a year earlier, down from 2.9% in July. It was the fifth straight annual drop and the smallest since February 2021. From July to August, prices rose just 0.2%. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, so-called core prices rose 3.2% in August from a year ago, the same as in July. On a month-to-month basis, core prices rose 0.3% last month, a slight pickup from July’s 0.2% increase.

Blinken and Lammy arrive in Kyiv as Ukraine pushes for long-range strikes against Russia

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy are in Kyiv on a joint visit as Ukraine presses the West to allow it to use long-range missiles against Russia. The top diplomats reached the Ukrainian capital on Wednesday by train hours after the U.S. presidential debate during which Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump sparred over the 2 1/2-year war in Ukraine. Blinken traveled from London, where he accused Iran of providing Russia with Fath-360 short-range ballistic missiles, calling the move a “dramatic escalation” of the war.

Hurricane Francine takes aim at the Louisiana coast amid fears of storm surge and flooding

MORGAN CITY, La. (AP) — Hurricane Francine is barreling toward Louisiana and an expected landfall amid forecasts of a potentially deadly storm surge, destructive winds and widespread flooding. Francine reached Category 1 hurricane status Tuesday night after gaining strength from warm Gulf waters. The National Hurricane Center says Francine might even reach Category 2 strength with winds of 96 to 110 mph before landfall Wednesday afternoon or evening. Louisiana’s governor warned residents to complete last storm preparations before a 24-hour window closed — and not rush outside after the hurricane’s landfall. A hurricane warning is in effect from the Louisiana border with Texas eastward to Grand Isle, about 50 miles south of New Orleans.

Spacewalking is the new domain of the rich as billionaire attempts first private spacewalk

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Paying passengers have lined up to rocket to space to experience a few minutes of weightlessness. Now some are seeking a bigger thrill: spacewalking. The stage is set Thursday for the first private spacewalk when a tech billionaire and his crew will attempt the feat. To date, 263 astronauts representing a dozen countries have popped open the hatch. Experts say it’s inevitable that non-professionals will end up performing spacewalks and worry the wealthy could try to jump to the front of a spacewalking line with minimal training. For safety, the latest spacewalkers will always keep a foot or hand on the capsule.

‘Hellish’ scene unfolds as wildfire races toward California mountain community

TRABUCO CANYON, Calif. (AP) — Apocalyptic-looking plumes of smoke filled skies east of Los Angeles as firefighters battled three major wildfires that erupted amid a blistering heat wave. Tens of thousands of homes and other structures were threatened and evacuation orders were expanded Tuesday night as the fires grew. Parts of the popular ski town of Big Bear and the entire community of Wrightwood were included. Firefighters have been working in steep terrain in temperatures above 100 degrees but cooler weather was expected for the rest of the week. Wildfires are burning across the West, including in Idaho, Oregon and Nevada. About 20,000 people have had to flee a fire burning outside Reno.

Passing in Week 1 reached its lowest level for any week in the NFL since 2007

From rookies struggling in their first career starts to high-paid quarterbacks not living up to their contracts to rusty veterans coming off injuries, the passing in Week 1 of the NFL season looked to be from a different era. More than half the starting quarterbacks in the NFL failed to reach the usually easy to achieve threshold of 200 yards passing in a game in what proved to be the least prolific week for throwing the ball since the 2007 season. In all, teams averaged 188.3 net yards passing per game, the fewest in any week since Week 15 in 2007.