Venezuelan security guard pulled alive from building basement 8 days after twin quakes<\/p>\n
CATIA LA MAR, Venezuela (AP) \u2014 Rescuers pulled a 43-year-old security guard alive from a collapsed basement early Thursday, ending a grueling dayslong operation that became a symbol of hope after the devastation of twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela eight days earlier.<\/p>\n
Hern\u00e1n Alberto Gil Flores emerged to safety covered in dust atop a stretcher surrounded by helmet-clad rescue workers after being trapped since June 24 under rubble in the basement of the Galer\u00edas Playa Grande shopping center in the coastal town in La Guaira. <\/p>\n
Rescuers, who initially made contact with Gil Flores over the weekend, worked more than 100 hours to free him \u2014 navigating a highly unstable structure, torrential rain and persistent aftershocks to tunnel down to the survivor.<\/p>\n
Teams carrying flags from around the world cheered as rescuers carried Gil Flores, wearing an oxygen mask and covered in an orange tarp, through throngs of people to an ambulance where they methodically checked his vital signs.<\/p>\n
One Chilean rescuer carrying his stretcher pumped his fist in joy. A group of men in red Costa Rican Red Cross uniforms embraced and laughed in relief. Others broke out into applause.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Former Olympian indicted on felony charge over alleged Reflecting Pool vandalism<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 A former Olympian was indicted Thursday on a felony charge in what President Donald Trump has called vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, where a renovation project he launched has been riddled with problems.<\/p>\n
David Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer, was indicted on a single count of property destruction in Washington, D.C., court. <\/p>\n
District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Hearn ripped up recently installed sealant on the pool in \u201ca deliberate act\u201d that caused more than $1,000 in damage. She accused him of \u201cforcefully and violently\u201d pulling up the bottom liner \u201cwith both hands\u201d and acting belligerently toward an employee who told him to stop. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a case with tremendous evidence,\u201d she said, adding that authorities have made about six other misdemeanor arrests. <\/p>\n
In a statement, Democracy Defenders Fund co-founder Norm Eisen and Mary Dohrmann, senior counsel at Washington Litigation Group, said that they represented Hearn and that the charges were \u201coutrageous and should be alarming to every American.\u201d Eisen and Dohrmann construed the case as representative of \u201cthe misuse of government power against an ordinary citizen based on a concocted narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Vatican excommunicates schismatic bishops and priests, and warns their followers<\/p>\n
VATICAN CITY (AP) \u2014 The Vatican responded aggressively Thursday to a traditionalist group that consecrated bishops without the pope\u2019s consent, declaring the Society of St. Pius X had formally broken with the Catholic Church. It excommunicated its bishops and priests, and warned its faithful that they too face the harshest sanctions in the church.<\/p>\n
By declaring a schism and extending excommunications to potentially thousands of Catholics, the Vatican\u2019s doctrine office went above and beyond the minimum sanctions foreseen by the church\u2019s canon law to respond to the consecrations Wednesday of four new bishops.<\/p>\n
The society, known by its acronym SSPX, celebrates the ancient Latin Mass and opposes the modernizing reforms of the Catholic Church, which it considers to be rife with heresies and errors. While a fringe movement on the Catholic right, the SSPX has been a thorn in the Vatican’s side for five decades because it claims to be even more Catholic than the Holy See.<\/p>\n
During a ritual-filled, five-hour Mass on Wednesday at its seminary in Econe, Switzerland, the SSPX consecrated four new bishops in direct defiance of Leo, who had urged the group to hold off for the sake of church unity. An estimated 15,500 people and their children attended, a sign that the SSPX has plenty of supporters who came from around the world knowing full well they were defying Rome.<\/p>\n
The harshness of the response suggested that after trying to negotiate with the SSPX, the Vatican under Pope Leo XIV had had enough.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Iran warns oil tankers to use approved routes in Strait of Hormuz or face a ‘forceful response’<\/p>\n
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) \u2014 Iran\u2019s joint military command warned Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz must use its approved routes or face a \u201cforceful response,\u201d ratcheting up tensions again over a waterway crucial for international energy supplies.<\/p>\n
The strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, has emerged as one of the top issues in negotiations seeking a permanent end to the Iran war. The statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya military command, reported by Iranian state television, comes after both U.S. and Iranian diplomats met with mediators Wednesday in Qatar.<\/p>\n
Iran is preparing for the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the war\u2019s first moments in February. On Thursday night, Iranian state media broadcast images of what it said was the casket with Khamenei’s remains arriving at the Imam Khomeini Hussainiya, for the farewell ceremony.<\/p>\n
Hundreds were seen in the footage, praying and grieving near the casket covered with a green cloth. The weeklong official funeral is expected to start on Saturday.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t clear what sparked Iran’s warning Thursday about oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz. However, the U.S. military’s Central Command had put out a statement about a meeting with officials from Mideast nations in Bahrain that said \u201cleaders underscored their shared commitment to the free flow of commerce through” the strait.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
The FBI is directing hundreds of analysts to its probe of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election<\/p>\n
ATLANTA (AP) \u2014 The FBI has asked its field offices across the country to dedicate more than 200 staffers to its investigation of the 2020 election in Georgia’s Fulton County.<\/p>\n
A memo obtained Thursday by The Associated Press calls for the FBI to \u201csurge\u201d 260 investigative analysts and staff operations specialists to the effort, which it described as a \u201cpriority investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
It said each of them is to conduct a check of an estimated 708 records by July 17. While the memo does not describe the investigation, people familiar with the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss internal decision-making confirmed the request was to help with the Georgia 2020 election investigation.<\/p>\n
FBI agents in January seized hundreds of boxes containing ballots and other documents related to the 2020 election in Georgia\u2019s most populous county, which is heavily Democratic and includes most of the city of Atlanta. A Fulton County spokesperson declined to comment citing a pending investigation. The contents of the memo were first reported by MS NOW.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump and his allies have made false claims that widespread election fraud cost him the 2020 election. Georgia\u2019s votes in the 2020 presidential race were counted three times, including once by hand, and each count affirmed Democrat Joe Biden\u2019s win.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
A grand jury indicts Louisiana’s attorney general in a fight over changes to the local courts<\/p>\n
Louisiana\u2019s attorney general was indicted Thursday over accusations she threatened the jobs of New Orleans leaders who fought a Republican-led overhaul of local courts in the heavily Democratic city.<\/p>\n
The 16-count indictment against Republican Liz Murrill, handed up by a New Orleans grand jury, charges Louisiana\u2019s first female attorney general with intimidation and malfeasance. At the center of the case are deepening rifts between state leaders in Louisiana, which is heavily Republican, and Democrats who control the state\u2019s most prominent city.<\/p>\n
Republican Gov. Jeff Landry promised a swift pardon, saying Murrill would not have her reputation tarnished by an \u201cOrleans Kangaroo court.\u201d Mayor Helena Moreno, a Democrat, was among those who had accused the state\u2019s top law enforcement official in May of making threats against public officials.<\/p>\n
The assistant district attorney handling the case, Laurie White, is a retired Orleans Parish criminal court judge appointed as a special prosecutor, and she said she expects the case to be \u201cvery simple\u201d and \u201cvery open and shut.\u201d<\/p>\n
Landry, Murrill and GOP legislators have been sparring publicly for months with New Orleans officials over the local elected office won last year by a man who spent nearly three decades in prison for a wrongful conviction. <\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
‘Right under our noses and nobody was able to help them.’ 16 kids found in squalor shocks Ohio town<\/p>\n
HAMDEN, Ohio (AP) \u2014 Just days after authorities removed 16 siblings from a squalid home and arrested their parents and grandparents, the question looms over their southern Ohio village: How could this have happened, for years, unnoticed, right here?<\/p>\n
Neighbors of the family in tiny Hamden, employees at local stores where they shopped and even the investigators who responded to the scene have been left to wonder that aloud and to themselves, and the limited information shared by investigators doesn’t offer a full answer.<\/p>\n
The children weren’t enrolled in school, the family moved around over the past two decades, and neighbors said they\u2019d never spotted the kids. The children remained mostly confined to a small room in the house, investigators said, under deplorable conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight under our noses and nobody was able to help them sooner,\u201d said Emily Collins, 27, owner of VC Farm & Floral in nearby McArthur. \u201cIt\u2019s just crazy that all the wonderful things going on in our little Hallmark town and this is what puts us on the radar. It\u2019s really sad,\u201d said the mother of three, who was compelled to decorate the sidewalk with bright flowers and stars drawn in chalk to cheer herself up.<\/p>\n
Authorities said they had gone to the home Tuesday on an unrelated investigation and discovered the children \u2014 ages 1 1\/2 to 18 years old \u2014 some of whom were unable to speak.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
ICE arrests 10,000 in 5 days, a sharp late-June surge in Trump’s deportation push<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 10,000 people over a five-day period at the end of June, marking a major push by the agency tasked with carrying out the Trump administration’s mass deportations agenda.<\/p>\n
The arrest numbers, obtained from a person familiar with the information who spoke anonymously to discuss data that has not been publicly released, comes after the agency shifted its approach from high-profile arrest sweeps in major American cities to quieter ways to reach President Donald Trump’s deportation goals. <\/p>\n
The figures indicate that while the administration is no longer cracking down on individual cities, the arrests continue and are surging. <\/p>\n
The total number of arrests during the five-day period starting Friday and ending Tuesday translates into roughly 2,000 arrests per day. It was not clear where the arrests had taken place.<\/p>\n
The spike in arrests was first reported by The New York Times.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Permit obtained by AP shows schedule for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding<\/p>\n
NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce\u2019s wedding will begin at 5 p.m. Friday and stretch until the early hours of Saturday morning, closing several blocks in the heart of Manhattan during the busy holiday weekend, according to a copy of a city permit obtained by The Associated Press and new details provided by police. <\/p>\n
The application \u2014 for a \u201cSpecial Event at MSG\u201d \u2014 was approved Wednesday night by New York City\u2019s permitting office, according to a spokesperson for Mayor Zohran Mamdani.<\/p>\n
The permit shows 100 guests will begin arriving at Madison Square Garden at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday for a \u201cpre party celebration,\u201d which officials described as an intimate rehearsal dinner. Thursday evening, black sport utility vehicles were seen driving into a tented area, shielding views of who was going into MSG. <\/p>\n
A full street closure will then go into effect overnight, allowing crews to erect a \u201cdrive through tent\u201d next to a separate \u201centrance tent,\u201d according to the permit.<\/p>\n
The \u201cmain event\u201d will begin at 5 p.m. Friday, per the application, with the option to continue until 4 a.m. the next morning. That party can host up to 1,000 people, records show. <\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Mikel Oyarzabal’s 2 goals send dominant Spain past Austria 3-0 and into round of 16 at the World Cup<\/p>\n
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) \u2014 Although Spain arrived at this year’s World Cup as a championship favorite and then went unbeaten through group play, those first three matches weren’t overly impressive.<\/p>\n
When the knockout rounds finally arrived Thursday, this star-studded team turned on its full talent and served notice that Spain can be just as good as everybody thought \u2014 and it’s probably getting better.<\/p>\n
Mikel Oyarzabal scored two goals and Spain beat Austria 3-0 for its first World Cup victory in a knockout match since winning the title in 2010.<\/p>\n
Pedro Porro added a goal in the second half as La Roja put on its most impressive performance of the tournament while demonstrating offensive creativity and defensive rigor throughout its vaunted lineup.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe great teams step up when it\u2019s needed,\u201d Spain coach Luis De La Fuente said. \u201cWe played a great match. We came close to perfection, but we must keep improving.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Venezuelan security guard pulled alive from building basement 8 days after twin quakes CATIA LA MAR, Venezuela (AP) \u2014 Rescuers pulled a 43-year-old security guard alive from a collapsed basement early Thursday, ending a grueling dayslong operation that became a symbol of hope after the devastation of twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela eight days earlier. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"guid":"b69f56db-885a-4752-8af4-8cf5349740e7","source":"The Associated Press","byline":"","published":"2026-07-01 21:04:13","updated":"2026-07-02 20:04:12","_infotelid":"","_prepressid":"","_multisite_post_sync":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1303,1304],"tags":[],"region":[1301],"class_list":["post-6387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-international","category-world","region-world"],"blocksy_meta":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6387\/ap-news-in-brief-at-1104-pm-edt-366\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"AP News in Brief at 11:04 p.m. EDT","url":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6387\/ap-news-in-brief-at-1104-pm-edt-366\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6387\/ap-news-in-brief-at-1104-pm-edt-366\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":""},"articleSection":"International","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"The Associated Press"}],"creator":["The Associated Press"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"iNwheels","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2026-07-02T04:04:13Z","datePublished":"2026-07-02T04:04:13Z","dateModified":"2026-07-03T03:15:16Z"},"rendered":"