World/National Archives - Page 40 of 56

Francine weakens and moves inland after lashing Louisiana

MORGAN CITY, La. (AP) — Francine has weakened to a tropical depression after slamming into Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane, causing widespread power outages and sending a dangerous storm surge rushing into coastal communities. The National Hurricane Center predicted the sixth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season would continue weakening. It’s expected to slow down as it moves across Mississippi. Francine made landfall Wednesday evening with 100 mph winds, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of customers in Louisiana and dumping heavy rains around the state, including in New Orleans. Heavy rains and possible flash floods are in the forecast for Mississippi as well as parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.… Continue Reading

Tech billionaire pulls off first private spacewalk high above Earth

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A tech billionaire has performed the first private spacewalk hundreds of miles above Earth. It was a high-risk endeavor reserved for professional astronauts — until now. Tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman teamed up with SpaceX to test the company’s brand new spacesuits on his chartered flight. Thursday’s spacewalk also saw SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis going out once Isaacman was safely back inside. The whole thing lasted less than two hours. The crew of four launched on Tuesday from Florida, rocketing farther from Earth than anyone since NASA’s moonwalkers.… Continue Reading

Laura Loomer, who promoted a 9/11 conspiracy theory, joins Trump for ceremonies marking the attacks

Right-wing activist and influencer Laura Loomer has joined Republican nominee Donald Trump in New York and Pennsylvania as he commemorated the anniversary of the attacks. Last year, Loomer shared an unfounded conspiracy theory that 9/11 was an “inside job.” The 31-year-old influencer has become one of Trump’s biggest advocates on social media and has traveled with him to other campaign events, including Tuesday’s debate. Loomer said in a text message to The Associated Press that she doesn’t work for the Trump campaign and that she was “invited as a guest.” Loomer was also spotted departing Trump’s plane when he landed in Philadelphia for Tuesday’s debate.… Continue Reading

An Ohio city reshaped by Haitian immigrants lands in an unwelcome spotlight

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — Many cities have been reshaped by immigrants in the last few years without attracting much notice. Not Springfield, Ohio. Its story of economic renewal and related growing pains has been thrust into the national conversation in a presidential election year — and maliciously distorted by false rumors that Haitian immigrants are eating their neighbors’ pets. Donald Trump amplified those lies during Tuesday’s nationally televised debate, exacerbating some residents’ fears about growing divisiveness in the predominantly white, blue-collar city. It’s part of a timeworn political tradition to cast immigrants as outsiders. Trump was repeating earlier claims about Springfield’s Haitian immigrants made by his running mate, JD Vance.… Continue Reading

Election officials warn that widespread problems with the US mail system could disrupt voting

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Election officials across the U.S. are warning that problems with the nation’s mail delivery system threaten to disenfranchise voters in the upcoming presidential election. They told the the head of the U.S. Postal Service in a letter Wednesday that it hasn’t fixed persistent deficiencies. Their alarming letter said that during the just-concluded primary season, mailed ballots were returned postmarked on time but received by local election offices days after the deadline to be counted. They also said properly addressed election mail was being returned to them as undeliverable, which could automatically send voters to inactive status through no fault of their own. The Postal Service had no immediate response.… Continue Reading

9/11 anniversary brings Biden, Harris and Trump together at ground zero

NEW YORK (AP) — Some 9/11 victims’ relatives have appealed to presidential candidates for accountability as the U.S. marks an anniversary laced with election-season politics. President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris stood together Wednesday at ground zero just hours after Trump and Harris faced off in their first-ever debate. The image was one of putting politics aside at a solemn commemoration of the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in 2001. But some loved ones took the occasion to deliver political messages of their own. More than one spoke out against a now-revoked plea deal with alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.… Continue Reading

Speaker Johnson pulls a vote on a bill to avoid a partial government shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Mike Johnson has pulled a vote on a temporary spending bill that would keep federal agencies and programs funded for six months. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the measure lacks the support to pass as a potential partial government shutdown looms. The legislation would require that people registering to vote must provide proof of citizenship. Johnson is signaling he’s not backing off linking the two main pillars of the bill. Congress needs to pass a stopgap spending bill before Oct. 1 to avoid a partial government shutdown just weeks before the election.… Continue Reading

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.… Continue Reading

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

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. is remembering lives taken and others reshaped by 9/11. Wednesday marks an anniversary laced with presidential campaign politics. Sept. 11 is the day when hijacked-plane attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania in 2001. The date falls in the thick of the presidential election season every four years, and it comes at an especially pointed moment this time. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump both are expected to attend the same 9/11 observances in New York and Pennsylvania. It’s not yet clear whether the Democratic and Republican nominees will cross paths. But they could encounter each other at a somber Sept. 11 ceremony hours after facing off on a debate stage for the first time.… Continue Reading

Harris and Trump detail their starkly different visions in a tense, high-stakes debate

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are sparring on politics and personality, showcasing their starkly different visions for the country as they meet for perhaps their only debate before November’s presidential election. The Democratic vice president immediately moved to press the case against the former Republican president and his bombastic rhetoric, linking him to the conservative Project 2025 blueprint for a Republican administration and GOP efforts to restrict abortion access. “Talk about extreme,” Harris responded when Trump repeated unsubstantiated claims that immigrants in Ohio are eating their neighbors’ dogs and cats. Trump in turn tried to link Harris to Biden, questioning why she hadn’t acted on her proposed ideas while serving as vice president.… Continue Reading