Simone Biles qualifies for her third Olympics as Hezly Rivera snags fifth spot on the team

MINNEAPOLIS — Simone Biles has officially punched her ticket to a third Olympic Games. She will be joined in Paris this summer by Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera. The team was selected at the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials in Minneapolis on Sunday after two days of competition. With four returning Tokyo Olympians, … Read more

Paid operatives linked to a GOP firm are helping Cornel West in Arizona

A dozen paid operatives registered Sunday with Arizona’s secretary of state to collect signatures on behalf of left-wing presidential candidate Cornel West, listing their employer as a Republican-leaning firm that recently worked for GOP House candidate Blake Masters. Arizona, unlike most states, requires paid or out-of-state petition-gatherers to register with the state. On their public … Read more

French face election where center has ‘imploded,’ energizing the far right

SOURCE-SEINE — In Source-Seine, a rural village of just 72 voters in Côte d’Or in northeast France, there are no candidates running in support of President Emmanuel Macron.  Sophie Louet, mayor of Source-Seine, says candidates representing Macron-style centrists are nowhere to be seen in the tiny hamlet — an extreme example of a trend occurring throughout the country, the world’s seventh-largest … Read more

Police shoot and kill teen armed with a replica handgun in upstate New York, authorities say

NEW YORK — An officer in upstate New York shot and killed a teenager who was fleeing while wielding a “realistic appearing firearm,” authorities said Saturday. Utica Police Chief Mark Williams said the shooting happened Friday night after officers in the city about 240 miles northwest of Manhattan stopped two youths at around 10:18 p.m. … Read more

The far right is on the rise ahead of elections in France. Here’s what you need to know.

France is on the cusp of voting in a far-right government for the first time since World War II, as the national mood appears to be souring on President Emmanuel Macron’s brand of mainstream centrism and lurching toward fiery anti-establishment populism. It’s a familiar story for anyone watching the political drama from the bitterly polarized … Read more

Space debris found in North Carolina came from SpaceX capsule, NASA says

The trunk is at the base of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, under where the astronauts sit, and is typically used to carry cargo. It is covered in solar panels that provide power “during flight and while on-station,” according to SpaceX’s website. That section of the vehicle is jettisoned shortly before the capsule re-enters Earth’s atmosphere. … Read more

Some Democrats start calling for Biden to step aside and ‘throw in the towel’ on 2024

Some Democrats began calling for President Joe Biden to step aside so the party can nominate another candidate after he stumbled badly in Thursday’s debate against his Republican rival, former President Donald Trump. “This was like a champion boxer who gets in the ring past his prime and needs his corner to throw in the … Read more

House committee passes bill that would allow Medicare to cover weight loss drugs

For more than two decades, a law has prohibited Medicare from paying for weight loss drugs, cutting off access to millions of potential patients who could stand to benefit.  The ban has come into even sharper relief in recent years, with the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of powerful but pricey drugs including Wegovy and … Read more

Bolivia coup attempt fails, general arrested

Led by a top general vowing to “restore democracy,” armored vehicles rammed the doors of Bolivia’s government palace Wednesday in what the president called a coup attempt, then quickly retreated — the latest crisis in the South American country facing a political battle and an economic crisis. Within hours, the nation of 12 million people saw a … Read more

How the pilgrimage turned fatal

Chishti, who traveled alone, said he felt the effects of heat-related illness himself on June 11. “I was so dizzy I didn’t know what was going on with me,” he said, adding that he still feels some lingering symptoms, including weakness and dizziness. More than 1.8 million Muslims performed the pilgrimage this year, according to … Read more