The Associated Press

The Rundown

Blinken in Israel on Mideast tour to shore up Gaza truce

JERUSALEM (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel at the start of a Middle East tour aimed at shoring up the Gaza cease-fire. He will face the same obstacles that have stifled a wider peace process for more than a decade,…Read More

It’s not just Arizona: Push to review 2020 ballots spreads

ATLANTA (AP) — Six months after Donald Trump’s loss, conspiracy theorists and Trump backers are continuing their push for repeated examinations of ballots and finding limited successes. A Georgia judge last week awarded a group the chance to review m…Read More

‘Turning mourning into dancing’: Festival to remember Floyd

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The intersection where George Floyd took his final breaths was to be transformed Tuesday into an outdoor festival on the one-year anniversary of his death, with food, children’s activities and a long list of musical performers. …Read More

Mysterious air base being built on volcanic island off Yemen

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A mysterious air base is being built on a volcanic island off Yemen that sits in one of the world’s crucial maritime chokepoints for both energy shipments and commercial cargo. …Read More

Japan says US travel warning for virus won’t hurt Olympians

TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese government Tuesday was quick to deny a U.S. warning for Americans to avoid traveling to Japan would have an impact on Olympians wanting to compete in the postponed Tokyo Games. …Read More

OTHER TOP STORIES

Vatican issues a street art stamp, ends up getting sued

ROME (AP) — One night in early 2019, Rome street artist Alessia Babrow glued a stylized image of Christ she had made onto a bridge near the Vatican. A year later, she was …Read More

Who’s an astronaut as private spaceflight picks up speed?

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — As more companies start selling tickets to space, a question looms: Who gets to call themselves an astronaut? It’s already a complicated issue …Read More

As deadlines slip, Biden agenda faces crucial assessment

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan is hitting roadblocks. A policing overhaul after the killing of George Floyd is up in the air. Even a seemingly…Read More

Factory boss defiant as sanctions bite in China’s Xinjiang

AKSU, China (AP) — A backlash against reports of forced labor and other abuses of the largely Muslim Uyghur ethnic group in Xinjiang is taking a toll on China’s cotton ind…Read More