Associated Press stories, Page 558
Mbappé warns of ‘catastrophic’ political situation in France as the far right gets closer to power
HAMBURG, Germany — France soccer captain Kylian Mbappé warned on Thursday his country is in a “catastrophic” political situation as it lurches closer to a first far-right government since World War II. The National Rally gained strong results — around 33% of the vote nationwide — on Sunday in the...
Dutch sprinter Groenewegen wins Tour de France Stage 6 in a photo finish
DIJON, France — Dutch champion Dylan Groenewegen won the sixth stage of the Tour de France after a mass sprint that was decided in a photo finish on Thursday. Tadej Pogacar kept the yellow jersey after a nervous day on the bike amid crosswinds. Groenewegen earned a sixth career stage...
Novak Djokovic grinds out a victory over wild card Jacob Fearnley at Wimbledon
LONDON — The good news, Novak Djokovic said, was that his surgically repaired right knee was pain-free at Wimbledon on Thursday. The bad news, he knows, is that his movement, such a big part of his success, was not yet back to normal during a 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 victory...
An American swims in Paris’ Seine River before the Olympics despite contamination concerns
PARIS — A 76-year-old American swimmer took a dip in the Seine River on Thursday, braving the murky waters in central Paris to celebrate the Fourth of July and highlight the French government’s efforts to clean up the river for the Olympic Games. He had good timing: Hours later, regional...
Hurricane Beryl churns toward Mexico after leaving destruction in Jamaica and eastern Caribbean
TULUM, Mexico — Hurricane Beryl ripped off roofs in Jamaica, jumbled fishing boats in Barbados and damaged or destroyed 95% of homes on a pair of islands in St. Vincent and the Grenadines before rumbling past the Cayman Islands early Thursday and taking aim at Mexico’s Caribbean coast after leaving...
Patrick Bertoletti wins his first men’s title at Nathan’s hot dog eating contest as defending champion Miki Sudo wins women’s division
NEW YORK — Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago gobbled down 58 hot dogs to win his first men’s title Thursday at the annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest. Bertoletti won in a tight, 10-minute race where the leader bounced back and forth. The 39-year-old Bertoletti defeated 13...
Netanyahu will dispatch negotiators to resume Gaza cease-fire talks, an Israeli official says
JERUSALEM — An Israeli official says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will dispatch negotiators to resume Gaza cease-fire talks. The decision on Thursday comes a day after Hamas submitted a new response a a U.S.-backed proposal for a phased cease-fire. The Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal...
World swimming federation confirms U.S. federal investigation into Chinese swimmers’ doping tests
GENEVA — The international swimming federation says its executive director has been ordered to testify as a witness in a U.S. criminal investigation into the case of 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance in 2021 yet were allowed to continue competing. The news comes just three...
Vatican chief of staff testifies in UK finance trial, points finger at deputy who escaped unscathed
ROME — Pope Francis’ chief of staff became one of the highest-ranking Holy See officials to testify in a foreign court Thursday, giving a British tribunal a detailed explanation of the negotiations at the heart of the Vatican’s so-called “trial of the century” and pointing a finger at his onetime...
Shohei Ohtani elected to start at DH in 4th straight All-Star Game, joins Aaron Judge as only holdovers
NEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani became the first player elected to start at designated hitter in four straight All-Star Games, joined by New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge as the only holdovers from last year in the lineups announced Wednesday for the July 16 game at Arlington, Texas. Philadelphia could...
Thousands evacuate as Northern California wildfire spreads, with more hot weather expectedVideo
OROVILLE, Calif. — Firefighters lined roads to keep flames from reaching homes as helicopters dropped water on a growing wildfire Wednesday in Northern California that has forced at least 26,000 people to evacuate, as the state sweltered under extreme heat. The Thompson fire broke out before noon Tuesday about 70...
Copa America quarterfinals will have plenty of intrigue, even if Lionel Messi can’t participateVideo
LOS ANGELES — Lionel Messi’s leg injury was the only major obstacle that fell into Argentina’s path while it rolled through group play and into the Copa America quarterfinals. Bigger challenges await the defending champions, and they’re hoping Messi will be there to lead the way in perhaps his final...
Red Wings sign 2-time Stanley Cup champion Vladimir Tarasenko away from the Panthers
The raiding of the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers continued Wednesday with the Detroit Red Wings signing winger Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million. Tarasenko, 32, is the sixth player from Florida’s Game 7 lineup to leave in free agency, not an uncommon theme around the NHL...
Delta flight diverts to New York after passengers served spoiled food
NEW YORK — A Delta flight from Detroit to Amsterdam was diverted Wednesday to New York’s Kennedy Airport when passengers were served spoiled food, airline officials said. The redeye flight took off from Detroit around 11 p.m. Tuesday and landed in New York at 4 a.m. “after reports that a...
Black farmers’ association calls for Tractor Supply CEO’s resignation after company cuts DEI efforts
NEW YORK — The National Black Farmers Association called on Tractor Supply’s president and CEO to step down after the rural retailer announced that it would drop most of its corporate diversity and climate advocacy efforts. The resignation demand emerged as Tractor Supply, which sells products ranging from farming equipment...
Man tells jury he found body but had no role in fatal attack on Detroit synagogue leader
DETROIT — A man charged with killing a Detroit synagogue leader during a violent overnight encounter denied any role Wednesday, telling jurors that he never entered her home but had discovered and touched her bloody body outdoors. Michael Jackson-Bolanos repeatedly said “absolutely not” when his attorney asked if he broke...
Colorado dairy worker tests positive for bird flu, 4th person linked to outbreak
A fourth farm worker has been infected with bird flu in the growing outbreak linked to dairy cows, health officials reported Wednesday. The worker had direct contact with infected dairy cows on a northeast Colorado farm, state and federal health officials said. The man developed pink eye, or conjunctivitis, received...
Federal Reserve minutes: Inflation is cooling, but more evidence is needed for rate cuts
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve officials at their most recent meeting welcomed recent signs that inflation is slowing and highlighted data suggesting that the job market and the broader economy could be cooling. Both trends, if they continued, could lead the Fed to cut its benchmark interest rate in the coming...
Now-banned NBA player Jontay Porter will be charged in betting case, court papers indicate
NEW YORK — Former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter will be charged with a federal felony connected to the sports betting scandal that spurred the NBA to ban him for life, court papers indicate. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn filed what’s known as a criminal information sheet on Tuesday. The document...
Hurricane Beryl roars by Jamaica after killing at least 6 people in the southeast CaribbeanVideo
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Hurricane Beryl was roaring by Jamaica Wednesday, bringing fierce winds and heavy rain after the powerful Category 4 storm earlier killed at least six people and caused significant damage in the southeast Caribbean. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Beryl’s eyewall was “brushing the south coast of...
Jessica Campbell will be the first woman on an NHL bench as assistant coach with the Seattle Kraken
SEATTLE — Jessica Campbell will become the first woman to work on the bench of an NHL franchise after the Seattle Kraken hired her as an assistant coach Wednesday. Campbell has spent the past two seasons working as an assistant coach for Seattle’s AHL affiliate in Coachella Valley alongside head...
Biden vows to keep running as signs point to rapidly eroding support for him on Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON — A defiant President Joe Biden vowed Wednesday to keep running for reelection, rejecting growing pressure from Democrats to withdraw after a disastrous debate performance raised questions about his readiness to keep campaigning, much less win in November. But increasingly ominous signs were mounting for the president. Two Democratic...
Mark Cavendish breaks Eddy Merckx’s record for most career Tour de France stage wins with his 35th victory
SAINT-VULBAS, France — Mark Cavendish wrote a new chapter of Tour de France history in what is expected to be his last appearance at cycling’s biggest race. The veteran Isle of Man sprinter broke Eddy Merckx’s long-standing record for most career Tour de France stage wins with his 35th victory...
Philadelphia radio host Howard Eskin suspended from Phillies home games over ‘unwelcome kiss’
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia sports radio host Howard Eskin has been suspended from Phillies home games for the rest of the season after investigations by his employer showed he kissed a worker for Citizens Bank Park’s food service provider without consent. Audacy, the parent company for Philadelphia’s SportsRadio 94WIP, said in...
Democrats in Congress are torn between backing Biden for president and sounding the alarm
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance has reverberated across the Democratic Party, forcing lawmakers to grapple with a crisis that could upend the presidential election and change the course of American history. The Democratic president has signaled he’s trying to stay in the race against Republican Donald Trump...
