By Scottie Andrew, CNN (CNN) — The stereotypical “cat lady” is one of pop culture’s most bizarre characters — and easiest punching bags. She’s “The Simpsons” recurring character Eleanor Abernathy, a reclusive resident of Springfield who speaks in gibberish and hurls her cats at passersby. She’s bedridden “Big Edie” Beale, tucked inside Grey Gardens, cuddling
Continue ReadingBy Chelsea Bailey, CNN (CNN) — On July 6, at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, Illinois, Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, died after being shot in her home by a White sheriff’s deputy. Nearly 116 years earlier, an 84-year-old Black man died in the same hospital after being lynched by a White mob. Both
Continue ReadingAP National Writer It still happens to Simone Biles. Even now, after two Olympics, six world championships, and a decade-plus in the spotlight. The most decorated gymnast of all time and the face of the U.S. Olympic movement will be chatting with someone when her age comes up. “They’re like ‘Oh my god, you’re so
Continue ReadingAP Diplomatic Writer VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — The United States and China have renewed their mutual grievances as Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Chinese counterpart held their sixth meeting since last year amid an uncertain political situation in the U.S. and growing concerns about China’s increasing assertiveness in Asia and elsewhere. Blinken and
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Watching the Paris Olympics will be difficult for most people in Russia, and in the view of local media it’s not really worth the effort. Only 15 Russian citizens will be competing in the Games and in principle they won’t be representing Russia. Because Russia and neighboring Belarus were
Continue ReadingBy Ivana Kottasová, Saskya Vandoorne and Sana Noor Haq, CNN (CNN) — France is still facing travel disruption a day after saboteurs targeted high-speed railway lines in an attack coinciding with the start of the Olympics. As operators try to get service back to normal, a key question remains – who was responsible? Authorities are
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — All of a sudden it’s Kamala Harris ‘ economy — a major opportunity as well as a possible risk for the likely Democratic presidential nominee. Shortly after President Joe Biden left the race a week ago, Harris began to craft her own narrative around the economy by putting an emphasis
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MESCALERO, New Mexico (AP) — Anne Marie Brillante never imagined she would have to choose between being Apache and being Catholic. To her, and many others in the Mescalero Apache tribe in New Mexico who are members of St. Joseph Apache Mission, their Indigenous culture had always been intertwined with faith. Both are
Continue ReadingBEIJING (AP) — Eight people died after a vehicle hit pedestrians in the central Chinese city of Changsha. A statement from the Kaifu branch of the Changsha Public Security Bureau did not give a cause or any more details but said that a 55-year-old male suspect had been detained. Five other people were injured, two
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BAILE TUSNAD, Romania (AP) — Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán says the European Union is sliding toward oblivion in a rambling anti-Western speech in which he warned of a new, Asia-oriented “world order.” In remarks Saturday in Baile Tusnad, a majority-ethnic Hungarian town in central Romania, he also threw his support behind
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A heat wave blanketing Iran has forced authorities to cut operating hours at various facilities Saturday and order all government and commercial institutions to shutter the following day. The temperature reached 107 degrees Fahrenheit in the capital, Tehran, according to weather reports. State-run IRNA news agency said banks, offices,
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BENI MELLAL, Morocco (AP) — As the warming Earth sizzled through a week with four of the hottest days ever measured, the world focused on cold hard numbers that showed the average daily temperature for the entire planet. The 17.16 degrees Celsius (62.8 degrees Fahrenheit) highest measured global average recorded Monday isn’t about
Continue ReadingPARIS (AP) — French railway company SNCF says it has made significant progress in restoring high-speed train services after acts of sabotage disrupted several lines ahead of Friday night’s Olympic Games opening ceremony on the Seine River. SNCF said its agents worked through the night into Saturday in adverse weather conditions to improve the TGV
Continue ReadingAssociated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine authorities say the cargo of industrial fuel oil on a tanker that sank in stormy weather in Manila Bay has started to leak in small amounts. They are were scrambling to start a delicate undersea operation to siphon off the toxic shipment from the sunken vessel. The 65-meter
Continue ReadingBy Nectar Gan and Kylie Atwood, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concern over Beijing’s “destabilizing actions” in the South China Sea in a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, as the two sought to keep communications open despite a deepening rivalry. Blinken met with Wang in Laos
Continue ReadingAssociated Press PARIS (AP) — Olympic organizers said they “deeply apologize” for introducing South Korea’s athletes as North Korea during the opening ceremony of the Paris Games. As the South Korean athletes waved their nation’s flag on a boat floating down the Seine River on Friday evening, they were announced in both French and English
Continue ReadingPARIS (AP) — Simone Biles will begin her quest for a second Olympic all-around title when she competes in all four events during qualifying. Biles, 2020 Olympic champion Sunisa Lee and 2020 Olympic silver medalist Jordan Chiles will compete in all four events in qualifying. Jade Carey, the 2020 Olympic champion on floor exercise, will
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TOKYO (AP) — The UNESCO World Heritage committee has decided to register Japan’s controversial Sado gold mine as a cultural heritage site after the country agreed to include it in an exhibit about its dark history of abusing wartime Korean laborers. The decision Saturday is a sign of improving ties between Tokyo and
Continue ReadingCNN By Alexandra Banner, CNN (CNN) — Several athletes have delivered standout performances at the 2024 Olympics, but the US in particular brought the star power to the Paris Games on Sunday. LeBron James led Team USA to an emphatic win over Serbia and Simone Biles fought through a calf injury in a triumphant return to
Continue ReadingBy Lucas Lilieholm, Abeer Salman, Ibrahim Dahman, Benjamin Brown, and Mohammad Al Sawalhi, CNN (CNN) — At least 30 people have been killed and over 100 injured in an Israeli airstrike on a school in Deir-al Balah, central Gaza, where thousands were sheltering, Palestinian officials said. The Israeli military said it had launched the strike
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