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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.

 
Irish sisters christen US warship bearing name...
BATH, Maine (AP) — With an Irish flag overhead and bagpipes playing, three sisters of an Irish-born recipient of the Navy Cross christened a warship bearing his name on Saturday — and secured a promise that the ship will visit Ireland. The future USS Patrick Gallagher is a guided missile destroyer that is under construction at Bath Iron Works and bears the name of the Irish citizen and U.S. Marine who fell on a grenade to save his comrades...

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Marvel’s new ‘Avengers’ films will star Harrison...
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Marvel Studios returned to San Diego Comic-Con with dancing Deadpool variants and a choir for a panel that included news about the next two “Avengers” films and surprise guests, including Harrison Ford and Robert Downey Jr. Downey is returning to Marvel’s films, but not as Iron Man. He’ll play the villain Victor Von Doom, or Doctor Doom, in one of the upcoming “Avengers” movies. Downey kicked off Marvel’s movie successes in “Iron Man” and played...

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Harris makes a pre-taped appearance on ‘RuPaul’s...
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris crashed the season finale of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” urging Americans to vote in an appearance that was taped before President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid. The episode caps the series’ ninth season and is streaming Friday on Paramount+. It opens with an announcer saying that programing is being interrupted for an “extra special ‘Drag Race’ viewing party.” The scene cuts to the Democratic vice president smiling broadly and saying...

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2024 Election Latest: The Obamas endorse Harris...
Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have endorsed Kamala Harris in her White House bid, giving the vice president the expected but still crucial backing of the nation’s two most popular Democrats. The endorsement comes a day after Harris and President Joe Biden each met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is also expected to meet with Netanyahu on Friday. It’s the first time in nearly four years that Trump and Netanyahu...

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Joyce DiDonato stars in `Eden in Olympia’...
NEW YORK (AP) — While much of the globe is focused on the Paris Olympics, a movie filmed from ancient Olympia starring mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato premiered this week that uses music to spark contemplation of creation and carnage. “Eden in Olympia” opens by posing a pair of questions as day breaks over a river: “In the heart of Olympia, the sun ignites the flame and humanity joins as one. Here, music and nature together demonstrate the power of existing...

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Newsom issues executive order for removal of...
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Thursday for the removal of homeless encampments in his state. Newsom’s order would direct state agencies on how to remove the thousands of tents and makeshift shelters across the state that line freeways, clutter shopping center parking lots and fill city parks. The order makes clear that the decision to remove the encampments remains in the hands of local authorities. The guidance comes after a decision by...

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Israel-Hamas war latest: Netanyahu addresses Congress and...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress in Washington on Wednesday as he sought to bolster U.S. support for his country’s fight against Hamas and other Iran-backed armed groups. Netanyahu has signaled that a cease-fire deal could be taking shape after nine months of war, but during his fiery speech to Congress, he vowed to press forward with Israel’s war until he achieves “total victory.” Meanwhile, thousands of protesters gathered near the U.S. Capitol to denounce the war. Palestinians...

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Can you guess Olympians’ warmup songs? World’s...
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Curious about which songs are fueling the Olympians competing in Paris starting this month? The Associated Press has an idea. Some of the world’s top athletes from the Olympics and Paralympics have shared their favorite warmup tracks, revealing what gets them pumped before a crucial game, meet or match. The results range from The O’Jays to the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Drake, spanning genres and eras — all of which can be found on...

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Safeguarding the heartbeat: Native Americans in Upper...
HINCKLEY, Minn. (AP) — At summertime social powwows and spiritual ceremonies throughout the Upper Midwest, Native Americans are gathering around singers seated at big, resonant drums to dance, celebrate and connect with their ancestral culture. “I grew up singing my entire life, and I was always taught that dewe’igan is the heartbeat of our people,” said Jakob Wilson, 19, using the Ojibwe term for drum that’s rooted in the words for heart and sound. “The absolute power and feeling...

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2024 Election Latest: Secret Service director resigns...
Vice President Kamala Harris had a busy 24 hours after being endorsed as the Democratic presidential candidate by President Joe Biden. She has secured enough delegates to earn the party’s nomination and raised more than $81 million, a record sum for the 2024 political cycle. Meanwhile, the director of the Secret Service stepped down from her job following security failures at a rally where a 20-year-old gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump. Kimberly Cheatle had been facing...

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AI industry is influencing the world. Mozilla...
“Scaling up” is a catchphrase in the artificial intelligence industry as tech companies rush to improve their AI systems with ever-bigger sets of internet data. It’s also a red flag for Mozilla’s Abeba Birhane, an AI expert who for years has challenged the values and practices of her field and the influence it’s having on the world. Her latest research finds that scaling up on online data used to train popular AI image-generator tools is disproportionately resulting in racist...

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The biggest of stories came to the...
Donna Sybert, Managing Editor of the Butler Eagle newspaper, holds a Special Edition of the paper during an interview with The Associated Press, Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)(AP/Matt Slocum) Donna Sybert, Managing Editor of the Butler Eagle newspaper, holds a Special Edition of the paper during an interview with The Associated Press, Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)(AP/Matt Slocum) BUTLER, Pa. (AP) — When gunshots echoed at the Trump rally...

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‘Twisters’ whips up $80.5 million at box...
Moviegoers ran toward the tornadoes this weekend, propelling “ Twisters ” to a blockbuster opening. The standalone sequel to the 1996 hit made $80.5 million in ticket sales from 4,151 theaters in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday. That’s about $30 million more than analysts expected initially, and makes for the biggest opening of a live-action movie yet this summer. Its overperformance recalled “ Oppenheimer’s ” debut last year on the same weekend. There are some similiarities: The...

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Arike Ogunbowale and Caitlin Clark lead WNBA...
PHOENIX (AP) — Arike Ogunbowale set the WNBA All-Star scoring record with 34 points and Caitlin Clark made the most of her All-Star debut as the WNBA team beat the U.S. Olympic team 117-109 on Saturday night. It was the second consecutive win for the WNBA All-Star team over the Olympians. The All-Stars also won in 2021 led by Ogunbowale, who was MVP of both that game and this one. That loss was the only one that the Americans...

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