AP Sports

Biden says he won’t step aside. But if he does, here’s why Harris is the favorite to replace him

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden insists that only “the Lord Almighty” can convince him to quit the presidential race. If he changes his mind, however, or if those leading a mutiny against him succeed in sparking a floor fight after the Democratic National Convention opens on Aug. 19, Biden’s running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris, is the best positioned to replace him as the party’s nominee. She is his most natural choice for an endorsement, and Biden’s feelings would still carry weight in the party. 

Heavy Israeli bombardment in Gaza City forces medical facilities to close as thousands flee

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Heavy Israeli bombardment is shaking Gaza City. Thousands of fleeing Palestinians are searching for shelter, and medical facilities have been forced to shut down. Israel’s new ground assault in Gaza’s largest city is its latest effort to battle Hamas militants regrouping in areas the army previously said had been largely cleared. One fleeing resident says that “the buildings were destroyed. The roads were destroyed. All has become rubble.” Hamas has warned that the latest raids in Gaza City could lead to the collapse of negotiations over a cease-fire and hostage release. The CIA director has met with Egypt’s president to discuss the negotiations.

Kyiv mourns as rescuers sift piles of rubble at a children’s hospital hit by a Russian missile

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says rescue operations have stretched into a second day at a major Kyiv children’s hospital struck by a Russian missile. Officials said Tuesday that at least 42 people were killed across the country and almost 200 were injured in Monday’s attacks, which targeted several Ukrainian cities. Zelenskyy posted on X Tuesday that 64 people were hospitalized in the capital, in addition to 28 in Kryvyi Rih and six in Dnipro — both in central Ukraine. It was Russia’s heaviest bombardment of Kyiv in almost four months. The strike on the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital, which interrupted open-heart surgery and forced young cancer patients to take their treatments outdoors, drew international outcry.

Trump returns to campaign trail with VP deadline nearing amid calls for Biden to withdraw

MIAMI (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is getting back on the campaign trail. He is rallying voters Tuesday at his flagship golf resort in the Miami suburb of Doral in a celebratory mood as Democrats face tough calls over President Joe Biden’s reelection chances. Trump is nearing a deadline of his own to announce his running mate but appears in no rush. Much of the attention is still centered on questions about Biden’s ability to govern for another four-year term after some Democrats started calling for him to step down as the nominee following his dismal debate performance.

Tourists still flock to Death Valley amid searing US heat wave blamed for several deaths

DEATH VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — Hundreds of Europeans touring the American West and adventurers from around the U.S. are still being drawn to Death Valley National Park, even though the desolate region known as one of the Earth’s hottest places is being punished by a dangerous heat wave blamed for a motorcyclist’s death over the weekend. Much of the country is sweltering in heat wave that has seen dozens of locations in the West and Pacific Northwest tie or break previous heat records. Record daily high temperatures in Oregon are suspected in four deaths reported in the Portland area.

Beryl leaves hot misery in its wake as the still-dangerous storm churns over the US interior

HOUSTON (AP) — Many of the millions left without power when Hurricane Beryl crashed into the Houston area now face days without power and air conditioning as dangerous heat threatens the region. A heat advisory is in effect through Wednesday in parts of Texas. Officials say it could take several days to fully restore power. Beryl is blamed for at least one death in Louisiana and at least six in Texas. The storm has weakened but is still threatening to unleash flooding over several other states in coming days as it churns toward the Great Lakes.

In closing, prosecutor says Sen. Bob Menendez’s behavior in response to bribes was ‘wildly abnormal’

NEW YORK (AP) — A prosecutor has accused Sen. Bob Menendez of engaging in “wildly abnormal” behavior in response to bribes during a closing argument at the Democrat’s corruption trial. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Monteleoni made the accusation on Tuesday as he continued his summation before a New York City federal court jury. Menendez has pleaded not guilty to charges that he accepted bribes including gold and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from three New Jersey businessmen. His trial entered its ninth week on Monday. His lawyer was expected to begin a closing argument on the New Jersey senator’s behalf later on Tuesday.

Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial begins with jury selection

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Alec Baldwin’s trial in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer is about to begin. Jury selection starts Tuesday in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the actor’s trial on a charge of involuntary manslaughter that could get him 18 months in prison. The judge and attorneys in the case say they expect the 12 jurors will be seated in one day and opening statements can begin on Wednesday. Jurors will be tasked with deciding whether Baldwin committed a felony when a gun he was pointing at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal for the film “Rust” went off and killed her in 2021.

A rare voice box transplant helped a cancer patient speak again, part of a pioneering study

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Massachusetts man can speak again after surgeons removed his cancerous voice box and replaced it with a donated one, a pioneering move. Marty Kedian is the third patient in the U.S. and the first with cancer to undergo a larynx transplant — and one of a handful worldwide. Kedian is part of a clinical trial at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona that aims to expand the potentially lifechanging transplants for people who can’t breathe, swallow or speak on their own because of laryngeal injuries or cancer. Early results of the transplant were published Tuesday.