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Suborbital space tourism finally arrives | FCC prepares to run public C-band auction | The big four in the U.S. launch industry — United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman — hope to be one of two providers that will receive five-year contracts later this year to launch national security payloads starting in 2022. | China’s launch rate stays high | The International Space Station is the largest ever crewed object in space.

 
Suárez HR off Hader in 9th lifts...
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Eugenio Suárez hit a leadoff home run in the ninth inning against All-Star closer Josh Hader and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 Saturday night in a game that included three ejections. Suárez hit a 2-0 pitch from Hader (3-1) into the second deck of the right-field bleachers for his 18th homer. Heath Hembree took care of Milwaukee in the bottom half for his second consecutive save and sixth overall, helping the Reds pull...

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Horse owned by Baffert’s wife runs in...
A 3-year-old colt co-owned by the wife of embattled trainer Bob Baffert ran under the name of another Hall of Fame trainer on Saturday, when he finished fourth in the $1 million Belmont Derby Invitational at Belmont Park, where Baffert has been suspended and is suing to regain access. Du Jour ran in the name of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott for the 1 1/4-mile turf race. Mott has been training the colt since June 6, including five...

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Woman arrested in freeway crash that killed...
PHOENIX (AP) — A fiery three-vehicle crash in which six people were killed and five others injured occurred after one driver who had a flat tire told her friend driving a second vehicle to change directions by crossing a freeway median to pull over and get help, authorities said. The friend and the friend’s five children were killed in the July 2 wreck on Interstate 10 west of Phoenix, while the woman with the flat tire was seriously injured...

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Vaccinated teachers and students don’t need masks,...
NEW YORK (AP) — Vaccinated teachers and students don’t need to wear masks inside school buildings, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday in relaxing its COVID-19 guidelines. The changes come amid a national vaccination campaign in which children as young as 12 are eligible to get shots, as well as a general decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths. “We’re at a new point in the pandemic that we’re all really excited about,” and so it’s time...

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Diverse England team wins fans in nation...
LONDON (AP) — Hannah Kumari has been an English soccer fan since childhood, but she never wanted to fly an England flag. Until now. Kumari is one of millions of fans ecstatic that England’s men’s team has reached the final of a major tournament for the first time since it won the World Cup in 1966. But like many British people of color, she’s had an ambivalent relationship with symbols of Englishness. Yet embracing them has come more easily...

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First African American spelling bee champ breezes...
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Whether dribbling a basketball or identifying obscure Latin or Greek roots, Zaila Avant-garde doesn’t show much stress. Now she has become the first African American winner in the 96-year history of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The 14-year-old basketball prodigy from Harvey, Louisiana, breezed to the championship on Thursday night. The only previous Black winner was also the only champ from outside the United States: Jody-Anne Maxwell of Jamaica in 1998. Zaila said...

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The Latest: Fans banned at Tokyo Olympics...
TOKYO — Fans are banned from the Tokyo Olympics following a state of emergency aimed at containing rising coronavirus infections in the capital. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced the state of emergency. The International Olympic Committee and Japanese organizers followed by banning local fans from the Olympics. Fans from aboard were banned months ago. “Many people were looking forward to watching the games at the venues, but I would like everyone to fully enjoy watching the games on...

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Canadiens fall short in losing Cup Final...
Dismissed throughout the playoffs, the Montreal Canadiens have seen their stirring run finally come to an end. Montreal was the last team to clinch a playoff spot, with the worst record of the 16 qualifiers, and became the last team eliminated following a 1-0 loss to the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of the final on Wednesday. Corey Perry knelt in disbelief on one knee. Shea Weber stared off into the distance from the bench. For...

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Teachers, students struggle with online classes in...
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Marcela García teaches science classes sitting on three cushions placed on a chair in her dining room in Chile’s capital, while many of her students listen to her from their beds because both sides lack sufficient space for the remote teaching brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Teachers and students alike had to start online classes without preparation and many without the necessary tools to give or receive remote education, which experts agree has negatively...

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10 more victims found in Florida condo...
SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) — The search for victims of the collapse of a Miami-area high-rise condominium reached its 14th day on Wednesday, as workers uncovered 10 more bodies from the rubble and officials sounded more and more grim about the prospects of finding anyone alive. Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah broke the discovery of the additional bodies and human remains to family members in a private briefing Wednesday morning. The death toll now stands at 46. The latest...

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EU vows to help Lithuania amid flow...
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — The European Union promised Tuesday to help bloc member Lithuania handle an influx of migrants from the Middle East and Africa, which the Baltic nation says is encouraged by authorities in neighboring Belarus as part of their standoff with the West. During a visit to Lithuania’s border village of Medininkai, European Council President Charles Michel pledged that “we will do our utmost to provide more support so that the Lithuanian authorities can overcome these difficulties...

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EXPLAINER: Why China is investigating tech firms...
HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese regulators have clamped down on the country’s largest ride-hailing app, Didi Global Inc., days after its shares began trading in New York. Authorities told Didi to stop new registrations and ordered its app removed from China’s app stores pending a cybersecurity review. The government said it was acting to prevent security risks and protect the public interest. Didi is the latest company to face intensified scrutiny in a crackdown on some of China’s biggest...

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‘Voice’ stars Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton wed...
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — “The Voice” coaches Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton celebrated their nuptials over the Fourth of July holiday during a weekend wedding in Oklahoma. The pop star and the country star posted photos on Monday of their wedding including an image of the couple posing under a twilight sky. A representative for Shelton said they married in his home state of Oklahoma and the No Doubt singer tagged the wedding photos with Saturday’s date. In one...

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Champion Elliott learns to savor wins in...
Chase Elliott heard the roar of the crowd begging for more burnouts and NASCAR’s most popular driver refused to disappoint his supporters. He knew his tires couldn’t hold up for a second smoke show at Road America, but Elliott didn’t care following his seventh career road course victory in the first Cup race at the Wisconsin track since 1956. There was no statement being made Sunday, and Elliott said he certainly does not resent the success of new teammate...

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Urshela’s 3-run HR lifts Yanks over Mets...
NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Boone’s savages have been reduced to salvage mode. Still a smidge above .500 after a lousy Subway Series, the New York Yankees are trying to keep the Big Apple focused on two teams entering the second half of this season. “We understand what’s at stake,” said Boone, the Yankees’ embattled manager. Gio Urshela hit a three-run homer and the Yankees beat the NL East-leading Mets 4-2 to avoid a Subway Series sweep after Aroldis...

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