GOP eyes midterm wins as Biden warns of threats to democracy
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are eyeing major gains in Tuesday’s elections and appealing to supporters over the final weekend of the 2022 campaign to sideline Democrats. President Joe Biden and his two most recent Democratic predecessors say the prospect of GOP victories could undermine the future of American democracy. More than 39 million people have already voted early or by mail in an election that will decide control of Congress and key governorships. Biden is set to campaign in suburban New York on Sunday. Former President Donald Trump plans a Miami rally. He’s hoping a strong GOP showing on Election Day will generate momentum for the 2024 run that he’s expected to launch soon.
Kyiv prepares for a winter with no heat, water or power
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The mayor of Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, is warning residents that they must prepare for the worst this winter if Russia keeps striking the country’s energy infrastructure. Vitali Klitschko says that means he cannot rule out residents having no electricity, water or heat in the freezing cold. He said Ukrainian workers are doing everything they can to restore services, but the public must prepare themselves. Rotating blackouts were beginning Sunday in Kyiv and nearby regions. Elsewhere, Russian forces were stepping up their strikes in the fiercely contested eastern province of Donetsk. The region’s governor says the strikes have almost completely destroyed the power plants that serve the city of Bakhmut and the nearby town of Soledar.
At global summits, Biden aims to assert America’s leadership
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will aim to assert America’s global leadership during his upcoming visit to Southeast Asia for meetings with world leaders. But his seven-day trip that begins later this coming week will be shadowed by a verdict on his presidency after Tuesday’s elections. Twin foreign policy challenges have helped define Biden’s first two years in office. And Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the increasing influence of China will be on full display at two summits in Southeast Asia. Biden will attend the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia and a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Cambodia. Biden also will make a quick stop in Egypt for the U.N. climate conference.
Cesspool or civility? Elon Musk’s Twitter at a crossroads
The discourse was never all that civil on Twitter. The loudest voices often drown out softer and more nuanced takes — after all, it’s much easier to rage-tweet at a perceived enemy than to try to find common ground, whether the argument is about transgender kids or baseball. While some amount of chaos is expected after a corporate takeover, Elon Musk’s murky plans for Twitter — especially around misinformation and hate speech — are raising alarms about where one of the world’s most high-profile information ecosystems is headed. All that seems certain is that for now, at least, as Elon Musk goes, so goes Twitter.
UN weather report: Climate woes bad and getting worse faster
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — The United Nations’ weather agency says the state of Earth’s climate is bad and getting worse faster than before, especially with sea level rise accelerating. Sunday’s World Meteorological Organization report helped open international climate negotiations in Egypt on a somber note. The report, which centralizes climate data and extreme weather reports already known, says that the rate of sea level rise is more than twice as fast as it was in the 1990s. It points out that the last eight years are the hottest on record. Greenhouse gases are at record high levels, with melting ice and hotter oceans.
West Virginia’s opioid crisis transcends partisan politics
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia’s opioid crisis is transcending partisan politics as city council candidates from three different parties tackle the issue in the capital of Charleston. Republican candidate Dr. Frank Annie, Democrat Joe Solomon and independent Sheena Griffith have all come face-to-face with the problem during their interactions with the community. The three say not enough has changed more than a year after the city was declared the scene of the country’s “most concerning HIV outbreak” due to IV drug use. Still, local officials are divided on how best to handle the crisis. It’s urgent that they get it right, with millions of dollars from legal settlements with opioid manufacturers and pharmacies on the way.
EXPLAINER: Qatar’s vast wealth helps it host FIFA World Cup
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Qatar is home to some 2.9 million people, but a small fraction of that — around one in 10 — are Qatari citizens. They enjoy massive wealth and benefits fueled by Qatar’s shared control of one of the world’s largest reserves of natural gas. Oil and gas have made the 50-year-old country fantastically wealthy and influential. When World Cup fans descend on Qatar this month to attend the tournament, they’ll arrive at one of the world’s newest airports, where expensive artwork, indoor water installations and luxury designer shops relay Qatar’s vast wealth. When visitors step out into the capital, Doha, they’ll see modern skyscrapers, man-made islands, architecturally stunning museums and a stream of luxury hotels.
Banned book lesson thrusts Oklahoma teacher into campaign
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — A high school English teacher from Norman, Oklahoma, intended to spark a discussion in her classroom when she covered her bookshelves with butcher paper and a sign that read: “Books the state doesn’t want you to read.” Instead, Summer Boismier found herself out of a job and at the center of a political firestorm. The Republican candidate for state superintendent even called for Boismier’s teaching license to be suspended. She and other teachers have found themselves at the center of a renewed conservative interest in public education as a political issue. The movement has broadened, with some people focusing on issues they say clash with conservative values _ such as teaching about social justice, gender, race and history.
AP Top 25 Takeaways: Georgia now college football’s standard
Georgia has aspired to be Alabama. Not just a national champion. The Bulldogs want to be the standard in college football. There is a long way for Georgia to go to match Alabama’s accomplishments, but Kirby Smart’s top-ranked Bulldogs have never looked more like the Crimson Tide than against No. 2 Tennessee. Georgia dominated the biggest game of the year. And the rest of the events of a wild day in college football, with Alabama and Clemson both going down, only served to re-enforce the Bulldogs are without peer.
Duran Duran stumbles, Dolly Parton rolls into Rock Hall
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Duran Duran stumbled but stayed sophisticated. Pat Benatar roared. Lionel Richie Soared. Eminem was Eminem. All are now members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame after a rousing show Saturday night at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. They’re joined in the Hall by Carly Simon, Eurythmics and Dolly Parton, who felt like she didn’t deserve the honor and wrote a rock song for the occasion. Duran Duran overcame technical glitches to thrill a room full of its fans. Richie’s set went from the mellow ballad “Hello” to the celebration of “All Night Long.” Benatar showed off her powerful pipes with “Love is a Battlefield.” Eminem brought on Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler to sing the chorus of “Dream On” for 2003′s “Sing for the Moment.”
FOX28 Spokane©
