It almost didn't seem to matter that CNN's Dana Bash and Jake Tapper were on stage for the much-awaited presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. They asked pointed questions on the issues, many meticulously prepared, and they were for the most part ignored. The CNN moderators several times repeated their questions — twice by Bash in one instance. But CNN determined ahead of time they would be questioners, not umpires. And they did not attempt to fact-check a debate where both candidates frequently called the other liars. Читать дальше...
A Kosovo court has sentenced four ethnic Serbs to four to 10 years in jail for the killing of a moderate Serb leader. The Pristina court ruled that the defendants were part of an organized crime ring and had targeted the victim because of his moderate politics. The defendants were not present when the verdict was read. Five other defendants remain at large. Oliver Ivanovic was gunned down in front of his party office headquarters in the Serb-dominated northern part of the Kosovo town of Mitrovica in 2018. Читать дальше...
Anti-immigration British politician Nigel Farage has condemned a worker for his Reform U.K. party who suggested migrants crossing the English Channel in boats should be used for “target practice.” Party activist Andrew Parker also used a racial slur about Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in recordings made by an undercover reporter from Channel 4. Another campaign worker called the LGBT pride flag “degenerate.” Reform U.K. said it had cut ties with the two men. Farage said he was “dismayed” by the comments... Читать дальше...
Voters are electing a new parliament in Mongolia, a landlocked democracy that is squeezed between China and Russia, two much larger authoritarian states. At stake in Friday's vote are 126 seats in an expanded parliament, 50 more than in the previous election in 2020. The Mongolian People’s Party won that year in a landslide. It still appears to hold the upper hand, but other parties may be able to capitalize on voter discontent to eat into its majority. At one polling station, some voters dressed in formal silk robes for the occasion. Читать дальше...
Seven members of a youth group hiking in Utah were transported to hospitals after lightning struck the ground near them. Sevier County Sheriff Nathan Curtis says The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints youth group from Salina, Utah, were in the eastern part of Sevier County around 1:45 p.m. Thursday when rain began and the lightning hit. Two hikers had serious symptoms and were flown by helicopter to Primary Children’s Hospital in Lehi, Utah. Five others were transported by ambulances to... Читать дальше...
Britain’s upcoming general election is widely expected to lead to a change of government for the first time in 14 years. Many analysts believe it will be one of the country’s most consequential elections since the end of World War II. The last time a U.K. national election took place in July was in 1945, when Winston Churchill’s Conservative Party suffered one of its biggest-ever defeats shortly after the Allies’ victory over Nazi Germany. Churchill had been governing in a coalition with other parties... Читать дальше...
The Nation's Weather for Friday, June 28, 2024
_____
NATIONAL SUMMARY
Thunderstorms with flash flooding and localized damaging
wind gusts will rumble in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa,
eastern Nebraska, northeastern Kansas, northern Missouri and
northern Illinois today. Spotty thunderstorms are expected
in the Southeast and along the Gulf coast, although they
may be a bit more numerous in the central and eastern
Florida Peninsula during the afternoon. Читать дальше...
Sole reformist in Iran poll votes, then says: 'We will try to have friendly relations with all countries except Israel.'
A strong earthquake has shaken southern Peru, but there was no immediate word on any damage. The U.S. Geological Survey said the 7.2 magnitude quake early Friday was about 5 miles west of Atiquipa. That is south of Lima near the borders of Chile and Bolivia. It was about 17 miles deep. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said any threat of a tsunami has passed.
Mongolia, where parliamentary elections are being held Friday, is a sparsely populated and landlocked Asian nation known for its bitter winter cold and independent spirit. As a democracy of just 3.4 million people overshadowed by two much larger authoritarian states, China and Russia, it has taken on symbolic importance in an era when democracy is in crisis in many countries, including the United States. Mongolia's vast mineral resources are sought by China and the West but generate wealth mainly for the elite. Читать дальше...
When New Zealand established a national day for Matariki, the Māori new year, in 2022, making it the country's first Indigenous public holiday, many New Zealanders didn't know what it was. Now in its third year as a nationwide celebration, Matariki is registering a surge in popularity, even as political debates about race have grown more divisive. Its rise reveals a tension at the heart of a still-young country between those embracing the Indigenous language and culture, and a vocal minority who wish to see less of them. Читать дальше...
Asian shares have advanced as traders look ahead to a key report on inflation that could influence the Federal Reserve’s next move on interest rates. U.S. futures were mixed and oil prices rose. In Japan, the government reported industrial output was higher than expected and the unemployment rate stayed at 2.6% in May. On Thursday, the S&P 500 edged up 0.1% and the Nasdaq composite added 0.3%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%. Gains in retailers and communications services companies... Читать дальше...
Biden and Trump arrive for a debate that could change the trajectory of the 2024 campaign.
Americans have gathered in watch parties, bars, a bowling alley and other venues to watch Joe Biden and Donald Trump go head-to-head in their debate. Trump supporters, happily, and Biden supporters, in their angst, seemed to largely agree they had witnessed a lopsided showdown, with Trump coming out on top. By the end of the 90-plus minutes, some Democrats were saying what partisans say to put the best face on things: It’s still early. One debate doesn’t necessarily sway the nation. Judge him by what he’s done and wants to do... Читать дальше...
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)
Читать дальше...
Above all, Joe Biden’s allies have wanted him to demonstrate strength and energy on the debate stage this week to help put to rest questions about the 81-year-old Democrat’s physical and mental acuity. But on the biggest stage in U.S. politics on Thursday night, Biden did not meet their modest expectations. And by the end of the 90-minute affair, the Democratic president’s allies — party strategists and rank-and-file voters alike — panicked about his chances against former President Donald Trump this fall. Читать дальше...
Researchers in South Africa have injected radioactive material into to the horns of 20 rhinos as part of a research project aimed at reducing poaching. The idea is that radiation detectors already in place at national borders would detect the horns and help authorities arrest poachers and traffickers. The research, which has included the participation of both veterinarians and nuclear experts, begins with the animal being tranquilized before a hole is drilled into its horn and the nuclear material carefully inserted. Читать дальше...
Who was John O'Keefe, the man whose death led to a Massachusetts murder trial attracting national attention? For 16 years he was a Boston police officer, but to those who loved him, he was Johnny or J-J, and some affectionately called him the Godfather. His girlfriend Karen Read, now accused of killing him, once called him “the patron saint of Canton.” That's the Boston suburb where, at the time of his death at 46, he was raising his niece and nephew after their parents died. O'Keefe also was a devoted godfather to his best friend's son.
The woman charged with killing her Boston police officer boyfriend had dated him briefly when they were in their 20s, and they reconnected during the pandemic. Karen Read was a financial analyst and adjunct professor at Bentley College when she resumed dating John O’Keefe. He had moved to suburban Canton to take care of his niece and nephew, and Read usually stayed with him. But their relationship was turbulent. Prosecutors say it soured so much that after a night of drinking in January 2022, she hit him with her SUV and left him to die. Читать дальше...
French voters are called to the polls this weekend for an exceptional moment in their political history. Sunday is the first round of snap parliamentary elections that could see the country’s first far-right government since the World War II Nazi occupation — or no majority emerging at all. The second round is on July 7. The outcome of the vote remains highly uncertain. Three major political blocs are competing. They are the far-right National Rally, President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance and a left-wing coalition. Читать дальше...
Trial watchers in a Boston suburb want to know: Did Karen Read kill her police officer boyfriend by slamming into him with her Lexus and then leaving him in the snow after a night out drinking? Or did John O’Keefe get out of her SUV and get beaten up in a fight involving other officers, who dumped his body in a panic and framed Read for his death? Those are the questions a Massachusetts jury is deciding in a case that has generated a carnival atmosphere. Jury deliberations began on Tuesday, and continue on Friday.
Iranians have started voting in a presidential election to replace late President Ebrahim Raisi. The voting on Friday follows the May helicopter crash that killed Raisi, the foreign minister and several other officials. Analysts broadly describe the race as a three-way contest, with two hard-liners — a former nuclear negotiator and the Iranian parliament speaker. The sole reformist candidate, Masoud Pezeshkian, has aligned himself with those who had supported Tehran's efforts to reach the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Читать дальше...
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)
Читать дальше...
President Joe Biden’s halting debate performance has led some in his own party to begin questioning whether he should be replaced on the ballot. There is no evidence Biden, who debated former President Donald Trump on Thursday night, is willing to end his campaign. And it would be nearly impossible for Democrats to replace him unless he chooses to step aside. Every state has already held its presidential primary. Democratic rules mandate that the delegates Biden won remain bound to support him unless he tells them he’s leaving the race.
Iranians are voting in a presidential election to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, killed in a helicopter crash in May along with the country's foreign minister and several other officials. Analysts broadly describe the race as a three-way contest. There are two hard-liners, former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and the parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf. Then there's the reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian, who seeks a return to the nuclear deal with world powers and better relations with the West. Читать дальше...
